ontheglobe.com to tour Czech Republic, Hungary and Croatia
Revisiting recent histories...

PRESS ADVISORY

Tour Dates: September 20 - October 13, 2007

(Montreal, August 21) Travel and culture journalist Andrew Princz of ontheglobe.com will journey to the Czech Republic, Hungary and Croatia from September 20 to October 13.

In the Czech Republic he will investigate the effect of beer on the national psyche, while in eastern Hungary he will return to the settlement of Hétes to see if the life of a young Roma in Hungary has improved in the past three years. In Croatia, meanwhile, he will uncover if the youth have been able to look beyond the bitterness of their recent war-torn past.

Visiting small and large traditional Czech brewries in Krusovice, Lutomerice, Zatec and Plzen, Princz will tour the Czech Republic in a good-natured attempt to find out if beer contributes the 'dark soul' of the Czech nation, or if it simply makes them a merrier bunch. In his mission, he will speak to artists, brewers, consult the rich Czech litterature, and even visit those who inhabit the local watering holes of Prague and outlying cities.

The next part of the journey take him and photographer Vanda Katona to the eastern Hungarian settlement of Hétes, where four years ago they met with then 11 year-old Szilvi. At that time the village captured national attention in Hungary, symbolizing the delapidated living condition of Hungary's Roma. Princz will revisit the village almost four years on as the journalists search for little Szilvi, to see how her life may have changed in the past four years. An article "Return to Hétes" will subsequently be published in Montreal's daily newspaper, The Montreal Gazette.

In Hungary, Andrew Princz will also meet with Hungarian film producers and distributors as research for a Hungarian Film Week, to be presented at Montréal's Cinéma du Parc in the last week of January, 2008. The festival will present a selection of award-winning Hungarian films directed by the generation of film-makers that have developed since the systemic changes over a decade and a half ago.

Then Princz will head to the Croatian capital Zagreb, where he will begin a tour of the country. Four years ago Andrew Princz conducted an interview with Croatian President Stipe Mesic, where he found a man scarred by the country's war-torn past. The last leg of the journey Princz will meeting with the youth of Croatia. Princz will try to uncover - with the wisdom of Mesic, and vision of Croatia's youth: do they today see the world differently?

The Croatian visit will begin in the scenic city of Split, then in Trogir, visiting the archaeological site of Salona. The visit will continue to Stari Grad, followed by Hvar, the island of Korcula, the wine roads of Peljasac, local wineries Skaramuca, Dingac, Grgic, and finally to Dubrovnik.

The fall visit of Andrew Princz of ontheglobe.com is made possible through a collaboration with Czech Tourism Canada, and the Croatian National Tourist Office.

For further information, please contact:
Andrew Princz, ontheglobe.com - aprincz@ontheglobe.com
Web www.ontheglobe.com

Photo: Jura Nanuk, ontheglobe.com - View of the the Castle District of the Hungarian capital.